Sound-box attachment



W. H. FRASER.

souwo BOX ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. HI, 1919.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

ATE T E.

WILLIAM HUGH FRASER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SDUND-BDX ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

Application filed December 16, 1919; Serial- No. 345,247.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIA HUGH FRASER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, inthe county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in (found-Box r'xttachments, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in sound reproducing devices of the class commonly referred to as talking. ma chines. Y 7.

One of the objects of the invention is .to provide the sound-box of a sound reproducing machine with a simple and efficient mechanism, in the form of an attachment, to modify the sound.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the sound-modifier that ,it ca n be conveniently mounted upon sound-boxes and the sound-modifying member brought, at will, into operative or inoperative position.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the attachment that it serves at the same time as a protecting means for the diaphragm of the sound-box.

With these and other objects in view which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the

same consists in the combination arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proportion of the several parts and details of construction within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

One of the many possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a portion of a talking machine, provided with a sound-box con structed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the improved sound-box; Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 1 is a section taken on line 4.4; of Fig. 3, on a larger scale; Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the sound-modifving element of the attachment; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a mechanism in engagement with the sound-modifying element.

In the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a portion of the cabinet of a phonograph, on which is mounted in the Well-known mannera rotating table 11, holding a tablet 12. 1th this tablet cooperates a stylus 13, held,;for instance, by a screw 14: u-pona support lo, that is fixed centrally to a diaphragm 16, the latter being mounted in the casing .17 of the soundbom This soundboX secured in any suitable manner to a soundsarrn 18, connected in the well-known manner with the cabinet 10. Thus far described, the construction and operation of theelements are well-known, so that a furtherdetailed description of the same seems to be unnecessary.

The. sound modifier includes a base plate 19, which is disposed in front of the diaphragm 1 6 and completely closes the soundboX, it being held fupon the latter in {any suitable manner, for instance by spring clips 20, I which are, preferably, made. integral with the said base plate and engage a rim 21 upon the casing 17. The, base plate is provided with a centrally disposed outwardly bulging portion 22 from which extends radially a slot 23,through which the stylus support 15 extends' Inoperative relation to the diaphragm, there is disposed between the latter and the base plate 19 an annular body 24, provided with a felt piece 25 on that face thereof which is juxtaposed to the said diaphragm. This annular body is provided with a radial slot 26 in alinement with the stylus support 15, so as to permit a mounting of the attachment, as a whole, upon the sound-box. A plurality of pins 27 is provided upon the body 24:, said pins being equidistantly disposed in a circle on said body and extending at right angles to the plane thereof through the base plate 19. From the outer face of the base plate 19 projects a cylindrical casing 28, and through this casing extends a spindle 29, that is centrally and rotatably mounted in the bulging portion 22 of the base plate 19. To this spindle is fixed a disk 30, having a plurality of cam faces 31. The number of these cam faces corresponds to the number of pins 27, each face projecting into a transverse slot 32 in a. pin 27. The pin slots are disposed in the same plane, and the cam faces 31 are so shaped that a rotation in either direction of the disk causes the sound-modifying member 24 to move at I said box.

right angles to the diaphragm and always 'fiXed to the spindle 29 a handle 83, having a projection 34, that is adapted to be seated between any set of ridges 35 on the outer face of the casing 28. Of these ridges there are, in the case illustrated in the drawings, three pairs provided, they being marked in their order by the numerals 0, l and 2.

.The operation of the device is as follows :The attachment may be placed, as a whole, upon the sound box by engaging the clipsEZOthereol": with the rim 21 on the When in proper position, the base plate 19 0f the attachment bears against the soundbox. V is in engagement with the ridges marked 0, the sound-modifying nember 24 is disposed at such a distance from the diaphragm that it does not aitect the ope ation of the latter. By disengaging the-handle from the ridges O and shifting said handle in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig; 2 of thedrawings until it engages the ridges l, the sounds modifying member is brought nearer to the diaphragm of the sound-box, thereby de-' creasing the amplitude of vibration of the latter and consequently decreasing the loud ness orintensity or the sound; By-engaging the handle 33 with the ridges marked 2, the

. sound-modifying member is forced against the diaphragm of the sound-box, whereby the amplitude of the vibration of the latter is still more decreased, with a consequent decrease in the intensity of the sound.

It is to be observed that, while herein threestops for the handle have been shown, any other suitable number may beprovided Vhenthe handle to allow of greater variations of the intensity of the sound. Attention is also called to the fact that, while herein a specific shifting means for the sound-modifying member has been disclosed, others may just as well be provided Without departing from the invention, which lies mainly in the provision of a body for adjusting the amplitude. the diaphragm of the sound.

distance between said member and said dim phragm.

2. The combination with the casing and the diaphragm of a sound box, of a frame attached to said casing, a member shiftably disposedupon said frame in parallel relation to said diaphragm and adapted to coact with the latter, a plurality of pins fixed to said member, and a cam acting upon said pins for varying, at will, the distance between saidmember and said 'dia-pl1rag1n.

Signed at New York, inthe county ot New York and State of New York, this 3rd day of December, 1919.

WILLIAM HUGH FRASER. 

